Lunar Surface Mobility: Robotic and Crewed System Concepts

NASA is planning to land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024 in order to enable human expansion across the solar system and bring back to Earth new knowledge and opportunities. The exploration and scientific discovery of the Moon can be enhanced using technology that aids capabilities of astronauts on the Lunar surface. In addition to the key objective of Lunar science, these supporting systems will demonstrate technology and operations that feed forward to the human exploration of Mars. Mobility systems are essential to the exploration of both the Moon and Mars and can transport scientific instruments, humans, or cargo extended distances, supporting both scientific discovery and exploration objectives. NASA has expressed interest in working with international partners, and surface infrastructure or mobility solutions are a good candidate for this collaboration. Lockheed Martin has conducted trade studies to determine the balance between robotic and human-driven Lunar mobility options, the benefits of each, the correlation between number of mobile systems and increased science return, requirements that drive the level of autonomy, and how mobility options may be operated to achieve the highest science return for the Artemis program objectives. The trades also examine the balance of purely robotic rovers, unpressurized rovers, pressurized rovers, and stationary and mobile habitats. Concepts have been developed for Lunar rovers based on the results of these trades. This paper will discuss the results of these trades and review the rover concepts developed.